Arab Attacks Jew, Shot Dead

A 19-year-old Arab was shot and killed Thursday after he attacked a Jew with rocks. Arab media reported that he was shot without provocation.

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Elad Benari, 28/01/11 02:40 | updated: 05:18

Rock-throwing Arab boy

Israel news photo: Flash 90

An Arab from the Samarian Arab village of Arak Burin was shot dead near the Jewish community of Yitzhar on Thursday.

Arab media, which reported on the incident throughout the day on Thursday, claimed that the Arab had been shot for no reason by a Jewish resident of Yitzhar. The Palestinian Authority-based Ma’an News Agency claimed that residents of Yitzhar had marched into Arak Burin and opened fire at its residents, killing the 19-year-old, who was identified as Ady Maher Qadous.

The report relied on statements by Ghassan Daghlus, a PA official who is in charge of monitoring activities by Jewish residents of Judea and Samaria. Ma’an also cited “medical sources” who said that Qadous was hit by numerous bullets to the chest and was taken to a hospital in Nablus (Shechem) for treatment, where he died shortly after arrival.

The website of the PA newspaper Al-Quds quoted Qadous’ cousin, who claimed that while he and his cousin were working on property which belongs to them, four Jews approached from a nearby hill when suddenly one of them shot Qadous.

However, a preliminary investigation by Samaria-Judea police found that the Arab was shot after a Jewish man who was walking on a pathway near Yitzhar was attacked by a group of Arabs who threw rocks at him. When one of the attackers approached the Jew with a rock in his hand, he opened fire in self-defense.

Those who responded to the findings by the police largely blamed leftist groups for inciting against Jews and helping to spread the false reports.

National Union Chairman MK Yaakov “Ketzaleh” Katz said: “Lately there is a rise in the provocations by groups of anarchists who are accompanied by Arabs and extreme leftists and are invading pastures, plots of land, orchards and vineyards belonging to Jews.

“Unfortunately, not only do the security forces not take any action to protect the Jews who are left alone to defend themselves, but the police and the army arrest them,” added Katz . “It is very unfortunate that security forces are afraid of those foreign organizations that finance the provocateurs just as they financed the Turkish flotilla.”

Katz said that he will demand that a parliamentary inquiry committee be established to investigate the reasons “for the compliance by the security system with radical rioters that undermine the stability of the region, while turning against the local Jews who are mostly graduates of the IDF's elite units and regularly perform reserve military duty.”

The Yitzhar community responded to the police findings by saying that the investigation “proves once again the hands of the Arabs are full of blood.”

The Samaria Residents' Council said in a statement: “Once again it has been proven today that the Arab blood libels against the Jews are automatically adopted by leftist organizations seeking to incite against Jews. After it has been proven that it was self-defense we expect everyone who said otherwise to apologize.”

Shomron Mayor Gershon Mesika said: “I am glad that the police today unveiled the truth behind the false tales of the Arabs. Unfortunately in many cases these false stories are made public and offend the Jewish population.”